Evans, GA- Annie Marie Poole Murray, 91, past away gently in the early morning hours on August 11, 2013 at Brandon Wilde Life Care Community in Evans, Ga.

She was born in Mt. Zion, SC to the late Walter D. and Ollie Coggins Poole. She was one of Twelve children. She grew up during the Great Depression in which she learned to set her goals for her adult life. After graduating from high school, she went directly into nursing school at Spartanburg General Hospital. After graduating as an RN, she volunteered to serve in the Army Nurse Corps where she was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. and trained at Ft. Benning, Ga., and Camp Rucker, Al.

She was deployed shortly after the D-Day invasion of Normandy. She arrived off the shore of Utah Beach at night during a heavy storm, transferred to a barge and made her way on shore under heavy enemy fire. Shortly after landing, she helped set up a field tent hospital near Cherbourg, France. She told of wounded soldiers coming in by the truck loads. The nurses were short on supplies and long on hours. She was wounded in France while helping retrieve wounded soldiers from the battle field when the jeep in which she was riding struck a land mine. She remained serving in France until Victory in Europe Day in 1945.

While in the service, she met her future husband to be, a wounded Army Ranger named Richard F. "Dick" Murray. These cornerstones would be her legacy, determination and sacrifice. Upon conclusion of her military service, she went to John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md. where she received a specialty degree in surgical nursing and also to be closer to Dick who was studying at Seton Hall University. Later, they moved to Spartanburg, S.C. where she worked at Spartanburg General Hospital while Dick attended Wofford University. After the birth of their daughter, Joan, they settled in Augusta. Marie continued her nursing career at St. Joseph Hospital until she retired in 1977 as Director of Nursing.

Marie was well known throughout the medical and social community and for her volunteer work. Throughout the years, she was active in many civic and professional organizations including, The American Red Cross, Tenth District Nurses Association, St. Joseph Auxillary, Metropolitan Women’s Club, Suburban Women’s Club, Azalea Women’s Club, Augusta Jaycees, Augusta Hearing Loss

Association.

She was an active member of First Baptist Church for over 55 years. She and her close friend, Sarah Allen, avidly ran the Flower Ministry for the Church for 25 years, where they would deliver flowers to Church members who were hospitalized or ill. She loved traveling and playing in competition bridge tournaments, as well as her weekly bridge game at Westlake.

(2012). She is survived by her daughter, Joan Murray Atkins and her husband, Charles R. "Chuck" Atkins (St. Simons Island); granddaughters Elizabeth "Lisa" Atkins Flowers (Mark) of Waynesboro, Ga; and Jennifer Atkins Manser (Robert) of St. Simons Island; and five great grandchildren.

The family would like to thank Kristen, Dana, Pat, Cher and Laura for their professional and personal care of our Meme; and a very special

thanks to Beverly for her unyielding devotional and personal care to Meme and our family. Also, to Jean Everett, for always being a life long "sister to Meme and our family.

Funeral Services will be held at First Baptist Church of Augusta in the Storey Chapel on Wednesday, August 14th at 2PM with Pastor Gregory DeLoach officiating. Reverend Tom Kalliokoski, Chaplain of Trinity Hospice, will also participate in the service.